Born, raised and still based in Ladbroke Grove, Lava La Rue lives and breathes West London. More than simply a home, it’s a source of encouragement and inspiration for the 22-year-old singer/musician, a fact she first acknowledged on 2018’s loose-limbed debut single ‘Widdit’, with its soulful, “City was a mother to me,” refrain. Two years on, she’s firmly established as a fiercely independent, multi-hyphenate talent, with co-signs from cultural arbiters as diverse as Tyler, The Creator and the artistic establishments such as Tate Modern. And yet, as her horizons continue to expand, her focus only sharpens on the very mutability of her musical identity.

Ask about her influences today, and she’ll reel off a catalogue of reference points while scarcely drawing breath, from psychedelic, punk and Britpop, to the vibrant soundsystem culture and banging rave music she was regularly exposed to throughout her youth. But for Lava, the real beauty lies in the blurring of these boundaries.